I watched a movie as a kid, years ago, I can't remember a whole lot of it, I do believe a little girl went to live with her grandfather(?) at a lighthouse. Towards the end, there was a storm and the grandfather has to tell the girl her pet cat got washed away. At the end of the movie the girl is sleeping and is awakened by a scratching at the window and it's the cat.

It does sound like "Captain January," It has been awhile since I've seen it on TV, but it was filmed in black and white and I vaguely remember a storm towards the end, but I don't remember a cat in it, and it was definitely not a Disney film, as the Walt Disney company did not make full length feature films till 1937, when they made the animated "Snow White and the 7 Dwarves." Live action films coming later.

The only thing I can remember with the Disney name attached and featuring a lighthouse was an episode of "Disneyland" called "The Mystery in Dracula's Castle" in 1973, which was in two parts, but was filmed in color.

Robert, would there happen to be a boy in the story who the girl lies to by saying that there are kangaroos where they live at? And the boy goes outside with her cat following him to go look for the so called kangaroos, only to get caught in a violent storm? And the girl starts crying and worrying about both her cat and the boy? And they both come back to the house alive sometime after the storm finally ends? I don't remember the title of it, but I read both the book and saw a film in school back when I was in first grade. I thought this might be the same film by chance. And there was a grandfather in the story as well I think. And he scolds her for what she had done.